Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-10-13
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN AS EXECUTIVES.

WOMEN AS EXECUTIVES
What History Shows - to Women Hav
ing Administrative Ability.
l have been much impressed, in read
ing historical studies of nations witt
which we sare little acquainted, at Oh
frequency with which l came acros
instances of high administrative abil
ity on the part of women, shown un
der circumstances where we have LITTLE
reason to look for it. 1 recently STUN
bled upon an instance in the history O.
China at the present time.
Some fourteen years ago, the EN-
percr Tung Chi died without issue, anG
council of Princes chose the present
Emperor, Kwang Hsu, child three
years of age, as his successor. The
management of the empire during hi:
minority passed into the hands of two
Expresses dowager-the mother and
aunt. respectively. of the deceased
monarch. The two sisters, as CO
regents, carried on the Government
with unusual vigor and success till
1881, when one of them, the empress
of the Eastern Palace" died. leaving
the whole power in the hands of her
sister. Tzu Hsi, Empress of the West
ern Palace" Now the instances
would be rare in which the absolute
power over vast empire could be
shared equally between two men, with
ont horn, 70 tho .f}; o;on.v Of tho Gov
eminent. History shows that double
ruiers!lips, as well as triumvirantes, are
apt to prove disastrous in their conse-
guences, and it is evidence of much un-
selfshness as well as ability upon the
part of these ladies, that their joint
rule should be successful.
But the survivors, reign has been
even more distinguished, and l read in
General Wilson's recent work on
China that ''it is asserted by the best
informed foreigners in Pekin that she
has proved herself to be the ablest
ruler of China since the days of KEN
lung, whose reign was contempora-
neous with the life of George Washing
ton. She is fifty-three years of age,
and is said to give the closest personal
attention to public business. She has
never been seen by a foreign official,
and, so far as is known, takes no no
1ice or account of their doings. Yet
she is supposed to be liberal, or to in
cline toward liberalism and progress
in her ideas. She has seen the entire
country restored to peace and compar-
ative prosperity under her rule, and her
dominion, at the surrender of it to her
ward, on the 9Th of February, 1887,
was undisputed to the very outermost
limits Of the empire.
And yet the women of China are
cut off from educational advantages
equal to those of men. they are kept in
Oriental seclusion from early youth.
and less ought to be expected of them
than of men. Yet the experince of
China seems to be the same as that of
other countries. In few cases where
women have been invested with adj
functions. they have. rs
rule. been eminently Successful.
have read of lsle in .cvetal
articles written by anti-sufliragists.
drawn FROM the supposed
of the fema.e mind for the
higher kinds of intellectual activity.
!: is repeated I'd nauseam, that women
have never originated any great
movement. have never
written any epic or dramatic master
pieces, etc. Now, if this were true.
it might furnish an argument Though
a very poor onc) for passing 4 law
all women from writing
epic or dramatic poetry and originat-
ing northumberland movements; but
it would not seem to be good argu-
ment for excluding her from admins
trative duties, which are fields of use
fulness. for which she has shown
special aptitude wherever she has
been tried; Yet, these are the only
domains from which she is excluded
to-day by the inconsistency of legis-
lation framed wholly by the other sex.
-Wiltiam D. Foulke, in Romans Jour-
nal.